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Written question asked by Andrew Snowden (Conservative) on Wednesday, 10 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 June 2026. It was answered by Natalie Fleet (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 June 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Intimate Image Abuse: Offences against Children

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effectiveness of device-level nudity blocking technology in preventing child sexual exploitation.

Answer

The Prime Minister announced on Monday 8 June that Britain would become the first country in the world to make it impossible for children to take, share and view nude imagery. We will work with tech companies for three months to ensure that comprehensive nudity detection is implemented at operating system level, with adults able to switch it off by proving they are over-18 through age assurance.

Children are being exposed to sexual harm every single day. Grooming, sextortion, coercion into sending nude images, and early exposure to pornography are now common experiences for young people. A single image, shared under pressure or manipulation, can trap a child in a cycle of abuse.

Comprehensive nudity blocking at device-level would prevent children from being able to take, share and view nude imagery – thereby fundamentally disrupting grooming and sextortion.

We have stated that, if companies do not act within three months, then the government will bring forward legislation to force them to activate the technology. This will include fines for companies. Nothing is off the table, and as a last resort we are exploring criminal liability for tech bosses who fail to comply.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
8891
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Offences against children Intimate image abuse
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk